Beyond Her Garden
by GamerLake
Summary: Inspired by Wooden Toaster's song "Beyond Her Tomb"  references The Cough by Ebon Mane and Rocket to Insanity by Scherzo,   Contains violence, mild profanity, and death.
1. Part 1

Beyond Her Garden

By BlackOpalofDoom

Inspired by Wooden Toaster's song "Beyond Her Tomb" .com/watch?v=2z5eizH0u1I

It is in the reader's best interest to become familiar with the plots of _The Cough_ by Ebon Mane and _Rocket to Insanity_ by Scherzo, as this story includes references to them.

Contains violence, mild profanity, and very emotional material. Also, many of the canon characters are a bit OOC, which is just as bad as the previous warnings.

_There hasn't been a town in miles… Where did everypony go?_

The ground beneath her hooves crunched and crumbled as she hauled a large wooden wagon across the deserted road. She did not have much with her; only some small pieces of furniture and a few crudely hoof-made garden tools rested within. Apart from that, she had nothing. She could not risk it: Anything that had possibly made contact with the outside world had to be burned.

She felt the road begin to incline slightly, so she paused to shift the leather harness higher on her shoulders before lunging forward, trying to achieve enough momentum to get her to the top of the hill.

Although it seemed to leave environmental apocalypse inevitable, the faint glimmer of hope in her heart kept her searching for any pony that had found refuge from the horrible plague that had ravaged Equestria for nearly a decade. There had to have been other survivors. Her town could not have been the only place where ponies survived. She strained the rest of the way up the hill, then stopped at the peak and surveyed the land before her.

Her heart sank.

The earth was just as barren as it was behind her. Again she adjusted the harness, wincing at the worn leather strap that chafed against her skin. Indeed, her golden coat and brilliant orange mane were the liveliest things around. Apart from her panting chest, the wind was the only movement or sound, brushing gently over her back and neck. She had hoped for more, but it would have to suffice. At least something in this disaster was pleasant. She sighed and took a step.

Suddenly she stopped. There was something in the air, dancing sweetly along the wind. She looked about, trying to spot the source of the sweet song, but saw nothing but the dirt and shriveled grass. She looked out over the road and followed it until it faded into the gloom. She squinted and found that she was just barely able to make out a dark edge.

A building. A town.

Life.

With renewed spirit, she reared back and charged forward down the hill. Her wagon surged with her, and as she went to take a sharp turn the whole vehicle became off balance and toppled over. The mare, still connected by the harness, was lifted off her hooves with a cry of shock and pain. The wind was choked out of her as the side of the wagon made contact with the ground, causing her ribcage to be slammed against the harness. She hanged there for a while as she attempted to catch her breath. Finally, she struggled out of the harness and fell with a heavy _plop_ on her hindquarters. Once she regained a bit of her strength (and her ability to tell which way was up or down), she heaved herself to her hooves and limped over to survey the damage.

Her heart sank further. Half of her tools were broken, and the crash had reduced a night stand to firewood. "Oooh NO!" She cried, and finally her knees buckled from underneath her. She collapsed and tears began to well in her eyes and she bit her lip to keep from crying. The last thing she needed to was to have a sprained ankle _AND_ dehydration.

There was no way she could have determined how much time had passed. Her ankle had swollen to the size of her hoof, and was throbbing slightly. She constantly scanned the road, or at least the part of it she could see, but to her dismay no pony had passed the entire time she had been there. She sighed. She was just plain tired, tired of waiting and tired of hoping. She gazed down the road, where she could see the beginning of a town sprouting from the fog. At last she decided that she had waited long enough, and it was time for her to attempt to make it the rest of the way into town.

From behind her came the sound of something heavy beating through the wind. She looked up in time to see a dark form fly over her head. Without thinking, she shouted out, almost rising to her hooves before the throbbing pain of her ankle brought her back to the ground. The figure stopped and hovered ahead of her for a moment before backtracking. A grey Pegasus with a daisy-colored mane and tail plummeted from the sky and crashed beside her. She shrieked and again tried to rise, but just as before she collapsed. "H-hey, are you ok?"

The Pegasus rolled over, the brown bags on her back slipping off and dumping envelops onto the ground. "Heh, yup. Sorry 'bout dat." She scooped up the letters quickly and slipped them into her bag. "You okay? Why are you on da ground?"

The golden earth pony sighed. "I hurt my ankle, and I've been stranded here for a while. I just want to get to town."

"Hey, dat's where I was headed!" The Pegasus leaped into the air, her wings beating heavily to keep her afloat. "Anything I can do da help? I see you accidentallied your pull-wagon."

A smile grew across the other mare's face. "Yes, please!"

"Wooo-Hoo!" The grey mare somersaulted in the air, making her amber eyes cross, and she pushed the wooden wagon back on its four wheels. She then began to collect the items that had fallen out (including the broken pieces) and dropped them haphazardly into the bed. The injured earth pony winced and prayed that nothing else had been broken. She did not have much time to finish as she was suddenly scooped up and deposited beside a dresser. She shook her head and asked, "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name?"

The grey mare began to attach herself to the harness, placing it on top of her head. "Wow…You can catch names? You're amazing…"

The other blinked, confused for a moment. "I…Well, I meant, what is your name?"

"Ooooh." The Pegasus had realized that the harness did not go on top of her head, and was now sprawled on her back with her hind legs caught on the sides. Finally, she slipped through by chance and rolled over onto her hooves. She looked back with a cross-eyed, chubby cheek smile and said, "My name is Derpy Hooves. But all my friends just call me Derpy." And with that, she launched herself forward, jolting the whole wagon and toppling the pile of broken nightstand all over the injured mare in the back.

After eight very bumpy minutes, the two mares had trotted into town, which to the golden mare's surprise was bustling with ponies. Derpy stopped and sat, smiling back at the other.

"Derpy, is there a hospital? Or a doctor's office?"

"In Ponyville? Hey…I know a doctor!" And suddenly, she was on her hooves and dashing off. The wagon rattled over the road, shaking the mare within it. Her teeth chattering, she shouted, "D-d-d-d-d-derp-p-p-py! S-s-s-s-s-low-w-w-w do-ow-ow-own-n-n-n…."

But the Pegasus continued without slowing. After about ten minutes, she halted by abruptly sitting on her haunches. The wagon collided with her, who miraculously was unharmed, and sent the golden mare flying overhead. She landed on her stomach with a _poof_. She coughed dust out of her mouth, and attempted to stand. As before, her legs buckled under the pain of her swollen ankle.

"You okay?" After some loud thumping, the gray mare was suddenly face-first in the dirt beside her. She righted herself, and then helped the earth pony to her hooves. "Sorry…"

"It's fine, Derpy." She coughed again, her legs trembling a bit as they began to limp forward into the building in front of which they had stopped. "By the way, my name is—"

"Derpy! What have you done now?" A brown stallion ran out to meet her, worry filling his blue eyes.

"I didn'd do nudding!" She scowled, her crossed eyes narrowing at him.

"It wasn't her fault, sir!" The golden mare pleaded. "My wagon fell, and I hurt my ankle. If it weren't for Derpy, I would have been in big trouble."

The stallion smiled. "Well then, that's good. I mean, it's not good good, but at least Derpy didn't cause you any harm. Now, we should probably get you to a doctor."

"Wait." The injured mare stopped and stared wide-eyed at the stallion. "I thought _you_ were the doctor!"

"Me? Oh, no. I'm a 'time doctor'. I keep track of scheduling for a famous modeling agent."

She stared at him for a moment before sighing. "Can you show me where I can find a doctor, then?"

"You bet. Just come with me, Miss…?"

"Golden Harvest. But most people just call me Carrot top."

"Can't say why," he said with a smirk, nodding at the three carrots that marked her flank. She smiled back.

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news."

They were sitting in the doctor's office, watching Doc Whovesly pace the room. He had just finished performing an examination on Golden Harvest's ankle, and her stomach was knotted with anxiety. She sighed. "Well, let's end this on a good note. Give me the bad news first."

"The bad news is that you tore a ligament, so your ankle will be hurting for the next few days. You are going to have to stay off of it as much as possible."

"Well then, what's the good news?"

The doctor placed an X-ray slide on the projector, showing an image of Golden's hoof. "Nothing is broken, so your insurance will cover it!"

"That's good, I guess…" The mare was not encouraged. "Um, Doctor, I just arrived here, and I don't know anypony here, so I was wondering… How am I going to get around? I don't want to inconvenience anypony…"

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. You seem like a nice mare; Somepony is _bound_ to take you in and help you out for the next few days." He smiled kindly at her. Just then, a white mare with a light pink mane neatly tucked into a bun poked her head into the examination room. "Doctor, we have another Hoof-in-Mouth case."

"Oh, those silly foals! They need to learn to keep their dirty hooves out of their mouths! I'll be right there, Nurse." Again, he smiled at his patient and with a nod bid her good bye. As he left, a chubby pale blue mare came in behind him pushing a wheel chair. "Here ya go, deary. You have a guest waiting for you in the lobby."

"Guests?" inquired Golden. "But…I don't know anypony here."

"Well, deary, there's a kind gentlecolt out there waitin' for ya."

She opened her mouth, but closed it again, deciding it was not worth the effort to argue. "Ok, then." With some help from the nurse, she was seated in the wheelchair and rolled out into the lobby, where she was met by the worried blue eyes of the brown stallion she had met with Derpy.

"Carrot Top! How are you? How's the hoof?"

"I'm fine, just a bit surprised to see you're still here!"

He smirked. "Well, when Derpy told me you were new here, I assumed that you had no place to go. So Derpy and I have agreed that until you can go on your way, you're more than welcome to stay with us."

The golden mare was touched. "Oh, Thank You! I don't want to intrude though…"

He laughed as he took the wheelchair from the nurse. "There's no intrusion at all! We always love guests, but since we are both so busy with work, we hardly ever get to have them."

She smiled, her heart warming. Finally: some faith in pony kind has endured the plague.

_Yeah, Carrot Top. Go Beyond your garden and be the queen you know you're destined to be…_

_Ya gotta follow your heart; now that's a start._

_To be serene: You're glowin' and showin' the world you're somepony that ponies should know and you gotta beat the heat—these haters comin' hard: Ready to break down your armies and go shatter your walls…_

_But you know inside you're not a typical girl: you're gonna show us._

_Let your story unfurl—_

"Mornin'!"

She cracked her eyes open to see the lilac unicorn filly's nose just inches from her own. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and smiled. "Good morning Dinky. I take it everypony has gone off to work?"

She nodded and bounced in place. "Yep yep! Is time to get up! Come-on come-on come-on!"

"Alright, alright!" Golden Harvest chuckled as she shakily stood. It had been five days since her arrival at Ponyville, and since she had been staying with the Hooves family, she had grown fond of Derpy's little sister. As a unicorn, her magic had been quite helpful to the healing mare. Each day, she had become more and more mobile and independent, and while she had been depending on the filly for just about everything when she had first come back from the doctor she was now spending most of her day playing with her and doing simple house work.

Golden paused as she reached the stairs, looking warily down them. Dinky, who had already bolted down them, turned back and skipped up to meet the mare. "You need help?"

She shook her head in response. "No, I want to do this on my own." And with that, she cautiously began to descend the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, she explained, "I want to go the whole day without your magic. I have to do it eventually."

"Ok!" The young unicorn really did not seem to mind. She was already racing around the room.

Golden Harvest rested herself by the window, gazing out past the dust that had collected on the glass panes the night before. Although there was certainly more activity than anywhere in Equestria, Ponyville was just as bare of vegetation as every other place. She sighed, resting her head on the window sill. Somepony had to try to grow _something_. She wondered how long the plague had ravaged through this town… Ponyville was so disconnected from other towns; it could not have been hit too hard, could it? But then she remembered how open the town was, and guessed that it must have been a high traffic area for ponies who were trying to flee the infected.

_And then everypony forgot to worry about the crops…_ She was unsure whether the plague or the famine that resulted from it had killed more ponies, but she knew that everypony far and wide had been affected by both.

"Carrie Top! Let's play!"

Jarred from her thoughts, Golden looked up to see a very fidgety filly standing by the front door, her scowl more adorable than intimidating. The young mare smiled. _At least some of the foals survived._

"Bet you can't catch me!"

Dinky Doo was running through the decaying apple orchard, dodging in and out of the greying trees. Golden Harvest was chasing after her, her gait at a canter to avoid any more damage to her still weak ankle. They emerged on the other side, nearly colliding with a great red stallion. "Oh! Sorry about that."

The stallion looked at her and smiled, saying "So-Kay" before continuing into the mass of withered trees. Golden looked up in time to see an orange mare approach. "Well, hey there. Nice ta see a new face." Her smile was the most genuine that Golden had ever seen. "The name's Applejack." She held out a hoof, which Golden took kindly. "I'm Golden Harvest—"

"Carrie Top, aren't you—"Dinky, who had been dodging through the trees, returned energetically, only to plop on her hindquarters upon noticing Applejack. "Oh…hi."

Golden laughed. "I'm also called Carrot Top, or 'Carrie Top' as my friend Dinky here calls me." She placed a hoof loving around the filly. Dinky did not hide like most shy foals, but merely sat tall, wide-eyed and frowning.

Applejack laughed. "Well hey there, sugarcube. I have a sister around yer age." She turned her head and called "Applebloom!" into the house, from which emerged a yellow filly. "Yeah sis?"

"Come 'ere. I got somepony fer ya ta meet."

She bounded towards her older sister, smiling friendlily up at Golden Harvest and Dinky Doo. "Well Howdy! Welcome ta Sweet Apple Acres!" She stuck out a little hoof, causing Dinky to flinch and topple backwards. She quickly righted herself and coyly accepted the hoof. "Hi." She said.

"I'm Applebloom. Wha's yer name?"

"D-Dinky." The unicorn filly smiled. "Hey… you haven't found your cutie mark yet either!"

Applebloom turned to cast a swift glance at her flank to be sure that it was still naked, then flashed an excited grin to Dinky. "Neither do you!" Her orange eyes lit up. "Hey… You can be a Cutie Mark Crusader too!" And with that Applebloom lead Dinky off through the leaf-less bushes.

"Will they be ok alone?" Golden asked, feeling a bit anxious.

"Aww, don' worry 'bout them, sugarcube. Applebloom is just takin' her off to see her clubhouse. It's just passed our old barn back there." She indicated the location with a jab of her hoof behind her. "Can I offer ya somethin'? Anything to drink or eat?"

"Oh, no," Golden responded. "I don't want to eat your food. I know times are tough…"

"Ain't a problem at all! See, the Apple family was prepared fer that dern famine. B'fore ta coughin' started, we hurried and bucked down as many of our apples as we could. Stored 'em all in the cellar, so we still got a couple of jars of Granny's sweet apple jam down there." She led the golden mare into her house. It was welcoming and cool, a nice change from the heavy heat that hanged over the land. The farmer climbed down through a trap door that on the kitchen floor. "What'chu say yer name was ag'in? Golden Carrot?"

She chuckled. "You can just call me Carrot Top. It's easier to remember."

"Sure is." Applejack reemerged from the cellar with a jar in tow, its contents a luminescent blend of liquefied rainbow. "Yer in luck! We got one jar of our Granny's famous zap-apple jam left!"

"Zap-apple jam?"

Applejack spread a bit on some bread that she had pulled from the cupboard and scooted the piece over to Golden. "Just taste it."

The golden mare stared down at the colorful spread suspiciously before scooping the bread into her mouth and chewing slowly. She jolted in surprise at the flavor, then hastily gulped down the rest of the piece. "That was _amazing_! There were so many flavors… I can't even describe them all!" She leaned down so that she was at eye level with the jar. "What did you call this stuff again?"

"Zap-apple jam! Greatest product of the farm, 'cept maybe sweet apple cider." Applejack suddenly became very solemn, sitting back on her haunches and frowning. "Bu' now, all ta zap apple trees have died, an' nopony knew how to plant 'em 'cept Granny Smith." Her shoulders hunched forward. "An' she di'n't make it through ta…"

There was silence for a moment, before Golden Harvest whispered softly, "I'm so sorry…"

Applejack sniffed and briskly wiped the tears from her eyes. "S'fine. She's in a better place now. 'Sides, that ol' hip of hers was causin' trouble."

Golden smiled weakly. "It must have been hard, still." She looked down at her the crumbs on the table before her. "We were all affected by it…" The image of a tiny yellow filly danced around her mind. She sighed.

"Aww, cheer up, sugarcube. I di'n't mean ta cause any hurtin'."

"It's alright. I was just… reminiscing." She smiled sweetly. "Oh, by the way, do you happen to know of any homes for sale? I've been traveling for a while, and I was thinking of settling down here in Ponyville."

"Well golly, there's one home right behind us." She pointed backwards. "Com'on, I'll show ya."

She followed the farmer out to the back of the house. Beyond the hill rested an old, shabby cottage with a dried out garden resting in front.

"Been empty fer years. I'm sure nopony would mind if ya just moved right in."

Golden smiled. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"

"'Course not!"

She beamed at the building. "Then I'll do just that."


	2. Part 2

The next day, she said her goodbyes to the Hooves family, promising to visit often, and happily trotted to her new home. As she passed Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack dashed to meet her. "Mornin' Carrot Top!" She paused and stare up at the wagon that Golden Harvest was hauling behind her. "Ya got it?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks though." She smiled cheerfully at her. "It's not much: just some tables and garden tools."

"Garden tools? Uh, sugarcube, ya know the ground ain't fit fer no tillin', right?" The farmer caught up with her friend, casting her a puzzled look.

"Oh don't worry. I'm growing carrots! I've never failed at growing them, so there's no harm in trying here." She skipped happily. "Oh, and just wait! I make the best carrot dishes! Carrot juice, carrot cake, carrot stew, carrot – "

"Look, Carrot," Applejack hopped in front of the mare. "I hate ta say it, but ain't no way yer gonna grow a thing."

Golden frowned. "So you say."

Applejack gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Carrot, but is just not likely. Big Mac an' I have tried revivin' the trees, but we di'n't make any progress. Now we're resortin' to buckin' 'em all down."

Golden Harvest's ears pricked up. "You said you were bucking the trees down?"

"Tha's right."

"Do you think I could maybe take one off your hands?"

Applejack took a step back, thoroughly perplexed. "Uhh…I guess. Wha'cha want an old tree fer?"

Her green eyes lit up. "Just trust me."

Applejack hesitantly stepped out of the mare's way and slowly made her way back to her farm, only pausing once to cast a confused glance at the other pony. Golden smiled and continued down the road. Her ankle ached dully, but was strong enough to help her climb the hill to her new home.

When she arrived at the cottage, Applebloom was standing out front. Golden was surprised, but smiled. "Hey…Applebloom, was it? What're you up to?"

"Sis told me ta help ya unpack." She cantered over to the mare and helped her unhitch the harness from Golden's back.

"Aww, thank you, Applebloom."

The two ponies began unloading the humble furniture from the wagon, leaving the broken pieces of the night stand inside. Thankfully, none of the other pieces of furniture were damaged, although most of her tools were still in fragments. _No matter_, she thought, _I'll just have to find more._

When they had finally set up everything in the house, Applejack had arrived with Big Mac, the red stallion that Golden Harvest had run into the day before. Tied behind him was the tall, bare trunk of an old apple tree. "Well, got yer tree," said Applejack, who still wore the expression of bewilderment as she had before.

"Eeyup," agreed Big Mac. He dragged the tree to the side of the house where it would not roll down the hill.

"Still don' know what this is all about, though." Applejack trotted over to the entryway and looked inside. "Whoo-wee. That there house is…umm…"

Golden knew what she meant. She too scanned the inside of the house. Apart from a couple of tables, the interior was nearly as barren as the land outside.

Applejack smiled guiltily. "Well…ya know…"

"It's ok… I… I couldn't keep much after the move…"

The farmer frowned. "Understandable. We had ta burn much of our things too."

"I think most ponies did. The winter frost just wasn't enough to kill the virus."

There was a span of awkward silence for a bit before Applejack finally cleared her throat. "Well, guess we better let y'all settle in. Hope we see more of ya, neighb'r." She held up a hoof and flashed a smile.

"Yeah, definitely," agreed Golden, bumping her hoof against the other mare's. They nodded to each other before the Apple family departed.

Golden Harvest trotted to the edge of the hill to watch them go. Once they were out of sight, she turned and beamed at the patch of field that was meant to be a garden. "Well, time to get to work."

A month had passed before Golden Harvest had a chance to formally visit the Apple family. She had greeted them in passing, but had never had the time to stop and chat. She finally decided it was time, and went to work on a project to bring over as a gift.

She arrived at the Apple residence around lunch time. She knocked on the door and gave Applejack a huge grin when she opened the door. The farmer was shocked. "Wh-what in the hay?"

"Well, it's been so long since we actually had a conversation, I thought it would be nice to bring over a cake…" Golden Harvest's smile shrank nervously. In one hoof was a plate on which was a beautifully decorated cake, ornamented with orange frosting in the design of a carrot.

"Carrot Top, what is that?"

Her smile had faded completely. "It's…It's a cake…"

Applejack stared at it for a bit. "Umm… Come in."

Golden nervously followed the orange mare into the house. She was unsure if she had done something wrong, or why Applejack was angry with her. They walked to the kitchen area and Golden placed the cake on the table.

"So, uhh, Carrot Top, what kind of cake is this?"

"It's, umm… it's carrot cake…"

Applejack froze. "Pardon?"

"Carrot."

"Where'd ya get the carrots?"

"I grew them."

The farming pony blinked at her before bursting out with laughter. "Aww, you sure are one funny pony. Thought ya said ya grew 'em fer a sec."

Golden Harvest frowned. "I…did…"

Applejack abruptly ceased from laughing, and stared wide-eyed at her. "Carrot Top, that ain't possible."

"But it is. I said I would, and so I did."

"Well—" Applejack stamped her hoof down defensively. "I said that our farm would come back, an' I yet ta see it do that!"

"Did you try using the old trees as fertilizer?"

"Do what now?"

Golden's smile returned. "Come with me."

Applejack stared at the earth before her. While most of Equestria was devoid of any living vegetation, the land around Golden Harvest's house was lively and green. Grass grew over the hill, and in the small patch of garden grew the long leaves of carrots. The earth was dark, rich and moist; the farmer pony was startled nearly speechless.

It was almost five minutes before the orange mare found her voice. "W-w… How?"

Golden smiled. "It was easy. I just used the wood from that old tree you gave me as fertilizer."

"An' ya don' think we tried that?" Applejack turned to her with a frantic expression, her eyes wide with fear. "Carrot Top, there ain't no way that alone could'a worked. What else did ya do?"

The golden mare took a nervous step backwards. "I umm… J-just hard work and the tree…"

"Carrot, if that were all we needed ta do, Equestria would be a'floriushin' by now!" Applejack advanced towards the now thoroughly flustered pony.

"I….I don't know what else I did!"

"Well think _Harder_!"

"I just don't know!"

Golden Harvest bolted off, leaving a surprised Applejack standing and gaping after her. She tore through the forest of petrifying apple trees, her mind racing her hooves as she frantically tried to think of what she had done to cause her carrots to grow before she reached Ponyville. She emerged out of the trees, her eyes welling up with tears. She might be the only pony that knows how to bring life back to Equestria, and here she was, dashing at top speed and drawing a blank. She began to slow to a gallop as the first buildings of the inner village came into view, and before reaching them she stopped entirely and broke down into tears.

She couldn't remember anything anymore.

"Pardon me, but may I get you something?"

Golden Harvest cracked her red puffy eyes open to see a cream colored pony wearing a light green sweater. Her laminated white name tag bore in bold black letters the name 'LAKESONG'.

"I…" Golden croaked, her throat dry from crying. "I…can't remember…"

The waitress frowned. "Hey, honey oat, are you ok? You're at the Cloverfield Café. You need something?"

She laid her head back down and closed her eyes. "I just… can't do it…"

There was silence for a moment, before she heard the waitress's hooves clop away and her voice call out, "Mocha! Take over for me." Then there was only the gently bustling white noise of the café and its customers. A couple of minutes later, she heard the clopping of hooves approaching her followed by the sound of glass being placed on wood. Golden opened her eyes and lifted her head.

"Hey." The waitress had returned, sans name tag, and sat at the opposite end of the table, smiling down at the golden mare. "I brought you some water."

Golden Harvest looked at the glass for a mere second before scooping it up and gulping it down. When she finished, she placed the glass down, sighing. "Why can't I remember!" she cried, her green eyes locked on the cream-colored mare as if she knew the answer. The mare gave a nervous smile. "Umm, sorry…"

Golden shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I've just… I just got in a fight with my neighbor, and…it's really not as bad as it seems, I mean—"

"Honey oat, you just need to take a deep breath and calm down." The waitress rested a hoof on the distressed pony's shoulder. "You want me to get you some more water?"

Inhaling deeply, Golden nodded. "A-and maybe some rose petal tea, please."

"You got it." The mare hopped to her feet and pranced inside the café, gracefully dodging through the tables. Golden cocked her head thoughtfully as she stared at the strange mare. It was odd enough that a common pony was wearing a sweater, in the middle of summer no less. But now that her vision had cleared up a bit, she thought she had noticed something funny about the pony's sweater. As the mare returned, she confirmed her suspicion.

"Here ya go." The waitress placed the glass of water and tea cup down on the table. But Golden was not listening. She was staring at the sides of the waitress. There was a large lump on either side of the mare's body.

The cream-colored mare smiled, sitting down so that her body was mostly obscured by the table. Golden looked up and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, that was rude."

"It's fine. I get that all the time."

"Do you mind if I as—"

"Cancer!"

Golden blinked, surprised.

The mare smiled nervously. "I-I mean, umm, no, I don't have cancer… B-but, umm, the doctors _thought _it was cancer, but it, umm, wasn't, ya know?" She gave a very unconvincing grin.

Golden gaped at her, but smiled. "Well, alright then." She chuckled, and then gulped down her other glass of water. Gasping in satisfaction, she placed down the glass and asked, "So, what did you say your name was again?"

The mare sighed softly. "Lakesong. Et tu?"

"Umm, sorry?"

Lakesong chuckled. "And you?"

"Oh!" The golden mare laughed. "My name is Golden Harvest."

"Nice to meet you. You must be new here."

"Is it that obvious?"

Again, Lakesong chuckled. "No. It's just, I'm friends with a pony who works at Sugarcube Corner, and she knows _everypony_ in Ponyville." Lakesong shrugged. "I guess if you've been around for very long, I would have heard of you."

"Well I've only been here for a month, and I live fairly far from town."

Lakesong's eyes lit up. "Me too! I live on the north end of town. How about you?"

"Behind Sweet Apple Acres."

"Oh." Lakesong deflated a bit. "That's kinda… far…" She sat up a bit and smiled again. "Aww, well I haven't been down on that side of town for a while. Maybe I can spare some free time and drop by for a visit."

Golden's smile grew wide. "I'd love that! My only friends in town are constantly busy at work, as are my neighbors. So I usually spend all of my time tending to my garden—"

"Wait. Garden?"

Golden Harvest clammed up. She had completely forgotten the dire situation that had driven her to tears only half an hour ago. "I umm…"

Lakesong leaned forward, her emerald eyes shifting to and fro. "You've made… life?"

Golden Harvest leaned back a bit. "I umm… well, I don't really kn—"

The cream-colored mare grabbed the other's hoof. "SHOW ME!"

"Well… I'll be a human's uncle…"

About half an hour later, Lakesong was standing in the exact same place as Applejack had been, with the exact same expression that had been displayed on Applejack's face. The mare's hooves were planted into the ground as the roots of the blanket of grass beneath her were, but she did not seem tense. Golden Harvest was fidgeting nervously behind her. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what I—"

"Shh."

Golden became suddenly quiet. She walked gingerly to the other mare. But she did not look angry. Her wide eyes were glossy as if she were holding back tears, her mouth hanging agape in wonder. She closed both, sighing deeply.

"L-Lakeso—"

"It's beautiful."

Golden blushed a bit in embarrassment. "Well, I wouldn't say that…"

Lakesong turned to look at her. "The air hasn't smelled this clean for over a decade. There is finally grass on the ground! How can you say it is not beautiful?"

The golden mare was silent, head hanging in despair. Lakesong cocked her head. "Wh…what's wrong?"

Golden began to gently paw at the ground. "Well… I just don't know what I did…" Her voice trailed off as she choked back her words. She hated to admit her ignorance, but try as she might, she could not imagine anything she could have possibly done that would have resulted in the rebirth of life in such an ecological graveyard. She peeked up at the cream mare and was surprised to see that she was gaping at her; from behind the short and jagged mane were a pair of exasperated emerald eyes. Lakesong blew the coffee brown streaked black bangs off her face. "What difference does _that_ make?"

"Well, Equestria might depend on it—"

She snorted. "Honey oat, the plague was eradicated only a few years ago. It'll be some time before the land recovers."

"But—"

She shook her head. "Listen, maybe it's just a coincidence. Or maybe it's the result of your hard work." Golden looked down and returned to pawing at the ground, turning over some of the dark, fertile soil. "Who knows? You might have nothing to do with it."

"But I might have _everything _to do with it!"

"But you don't know that." Golden looked up as the waitress pony sat down beside her. The smile she gave the forlorn mare was warm and trusting, and Golden could not help but return the smile. "So why make yourself sick over it?"

Golden sighed. "I guess you're right. It's just… well, my neighbor Applejack made such a big to-do over it when I brought over that carrot cake—"

Suddenly the mare beside her was sprawled out on her back, her face red and eyes watering from laughter. The golden mare was startled and opened her mouth to ask if she was alright when she was interrupted. "Oh Golden Harvest, is _that_ what's been eating you?" Her laughter subsided to giggles as she sat up and leaned over towards the confused carrot farmer. "Let me fill you in on a secret. The Apple family can get a little touchy about baked goods made with fruits other than apples."

Golden's brow furrowed in confusion. "But… carrots are vegetables…"

"Doesn't matter!" Lakesong erupted into another fit of giggles. "They're _really_ proud of their apple products."

Golden Harvest bit her lip. "I didn't mean to offend anypony. I just thought it would be nice to bring over a cake, since I hadn't seen them in so long…"

Noticing her friend's distress, the cream-colored pony sobered up. "Aww, don't get all beat up about it. The Apple's are very forgiving ponies. There's no doubt that Applejack just needs to blow off some steam. Ever since she and her brother inherited the farm, word's been out that she's uber stressed."

Golden sighed, a faint ghost of a smile growing on her lips. "Thanks, Lakesong. I feel much better now."

"No problem." The waitress pony beamed. And just as quickly as she had recognized triumph, her expression slid into one of fear. "Snapdragons! I forgot completely about work!" She leapt to her hooves. "Thank you so much for showing me your garden, Golden Harvest, but I really need to run. I'll be expecting you around, 'k?" Without waiting for a response, she turned tail and bolted down the hill, her hooves remarkably swift and light for an earth pony. Golden watched her, a bit confused, until she was out of sight. _That mare was certainly an oddball_, she thought. _An oddball, but nice_. She cast a glance up at the sky. The sun seemed to peek through the grey as a glowing orb, slightly to the west. There was still plenty of day left. She turned her attention to her garden. _Might as well spruce it up_.

It was the following afternoon before a knock finally came at Golden Harvest's front door. Upon opening it she saw Applejack gently brushing her hooves on the welcome mat, her bashful expression partially obscured by the large rim of her hat. Golden was surprised, as she had not expected a visit from her neighbor so soon after the fight. "Oh, umm, hello Appleja—"

"I'm sorry! After you gone and run off like that yesterday, I just couldn' put my mind ta rest. So I'm apologizin' for making ya so upset." The orange pony's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. "I just couldn' sleep, thinkin' about how bothered you were. An' I wanted you ta know, I ain't gonna ask about it no more."

Golden blinked as she attempted to process everything the apple farmer had said. "I umm… it's ok."

"No hard feelin's?" Applejack asked.

"No hard feelings." Golden smiled.

The orange mare sighed. "Whoo-ee. Thanks there, Carrot Top." She stood tall and beamed. "So watcha up to taday?"

Golden Harvest furrowed her brow in concentration, wracking her brain for any plans she may have made. "I think I'm free today, actually." She looked up at Applejack who began to grin. "Why?"

"I was just wonderin' if ya wanted ta get outta the house. I could intraduce ya to my friends, maybe?"

Golden smiled brightly. "I'd love that!"

"Great!" Applejack grinned triumphantly. "Umm, also… just one mor' thing."

Golden cocked her head. "What's that?"

Applejack sheepishly tapped her hoof on the door frame. "Ya got anymor' of that carrot cake?"


	3. Part 3

"This here is my best friend Rainbow Dash's place."

Golden Harvest stood with her neck craned back as far as it would go, staring up at the only white cloud visible for miles. Cascading down from it was a waterfall of rainbow that seemed to vaporize itself some twenty feet before reaching the ground. She leaned her head towards Applejack. "She seems like a humble pony."

Applejack chuckled. "Naw, Dash is far from humble. C'mon." She trotted over to a purple hot air balloon that was tethered to the peak of a hill. Golden anxiously followed and climbed into the basket as Applejack untied the rope holding it down. "Hang on tight!" The orange mare shouted as she ran down the hill with the rope clenched tightly between her teeth and swung herself up into the basket. The whole balloon lurched when she landed, causing Golden to shriek a bit and grip the side of the basket harder. Applejack laughed as she stood up and began to maneuver the balloon towards the floating cloud house. "Y'all right?"

Still shaking and gripping the sides, the carrot farmer nodded. "I-I've just nev-ver been up in a b-b-balloon before…" She slid down the side of the basket, her legs too weak to hold her up but her body too stiff to sit normally. Applejack chuckled nervously. "Sorry there, Carrot-Top. But Don' worry; we're almost there."

Golden Harvest took her word for it. There was no way she was about to stand up until her hooves were on solid ground again. Unfortunately, she had no such luck, for as the balloon reached the cloud mansion, she noticed that the apple farmer was not leaving the basket, and instead was leaning out of it to knock her hoof against the front door. With a sigh, Golden stood with trembling legs and peeked over the side of the basket. The balloon had perched itself on a ledge of cloud right beside tall wooden doors. From behind a Hellenistic cloud pillar she could see the rainbowfall tumbling over the side of the house.

"Huh," grunted Applejack. "She usu'lly answers right away. Might be asleep." She leaned over again and pounded her hoof against the door. The knocks echoed, resonating with a deep open sound. There was an odd clattering sound from behind the door, and after a few moments it swung open to reveal a very unenergetic looking Pegasus; her rainbow-streaked mane stuck up in clumps, her fuchsia eyes sunken in. "Oh…Hey Apple—" she paused to yawn, beads of tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "—Jack. What brings you here?"

"You alright, Dash? Ya look like ya been beaten down by an angry bear or sumthin'."

Dash, who was now leaning against her door frame, forced herself to straighten up. "What are ya talkin' about? I'm perfectly fine! I don't have night terrors, so stop asking!"

The two mares in the basket stared at the cyan Pegasus with dumbfounded expressions. After a moment, Applejack cleared her throat. "Well, ahh, Dash, this is my new neighbor, Carrot-Top. Carrot, this is my best gal Rainbow Dash. She's the chief weather pony of Ponyville."

"Oh wow!" Golden held out her hoof to the Pegasus. "It's an honor to meet you."

Rainbow knocked her hoof against Golden's. "Yeah, nice to meet you too. If you ever need a rain spell, just give me a call."

"I certainly will. You must have a difficult job keeping the sky fairly clean, with all this gloom surrounding Equestria."

Dash scoffed. "I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat!" She stood tall, but her tired frame buckled a bit and she slumped down again. "Well, at least I used to be able too. Now all I can do is punch a hole through the clouds that last only a little while. But I can always squeeze out a little rain of it. Not much, but just enough to keep Ponyville from drying up completely."

Applejack patted her friend on the back. "S'all right, Dash. Ya still the best weatherpony that's ever come out a Cloudsdale."

The cyan mare looked up through her rainbow bangs with a grin. "Thanks AJ."

"No problem at all. Ya just gotta keep stayin' strong, tha's all. Why, my Granny Smith used ta always say that when trouble is a-brewin', ya just gotta keep—uhh RD, you even listenin'?"

Rainbow was not listening at all. In fact, she had fallen asleep against the door frame, snoring softly with a bit of drool trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"DASH!"

"Wh—" She snapped awake, leaping to her feet with her wings pricked up. "Wh-wh-what happened? Who's hurt?"

"Dash, nopony's hurt. Ya fell asleep again." Applejack stared at her, concerned. "Ya sure yer alright?"

Dash shook her head rapidly. "I told you, I'm fine!"

Applejack frowned. "Well, ahh… alright then. Well, I'm just gonna… go. I promised Carrot here that I'd introduce her to all my friends and all—"

Dash was suddenly halfway into the basket, tipping it forward and causing shouts of surprise as the two mares within slide towards the edge and closer to the cyan Pegasus. "You're not going to Pinkie's, right?"

"Erm, yeah, was plannin' on it," Applejack said, trying to push herself farther away from Rainbow's face. "W-why, ya want sumthin'?"

"Yeah. Just be careful, that's all. And if she offers you a cupcake, don't eat it! Whatever you do, for the love of Celestia, DON'T. EAT. HER. CUPCAKES."

There was a long silence that was only filled with the babbling of the rainbowfall and the scratching of Applejack's hooves against the bottom of the basket. Finally, the apple farmer managed to stammer out her agreement before hastily shoving the Pegasus from the basket and launching the balloon, shouting her goodbyes over her shoulder. Golden tumbled onto her back as the basket lurched into its level position, but she quickly regained her footing and poked her head over the side to look up at the cloud house. Rainbow was not following them, but was instead leaning over the edge of her cloud platform and staring back at them with wide eyes and clenched teeth. Golden shrank back with an uneasy feeling sitting in the pit of her stomach.

"Sorry 'bout that, Carrot. Dash ain't normally like that. Don't know what's gotten into her lately. I'm thinkin' we should stop by Twilight's house next. She might know what's up with her."

"I-it's no big deal," she mumbled. As the balloon landed, she hopped out and turned to look back at the cloud house. Dash was still there, now only a blue spot surrounded by white cloud.

"Hey, Carrot, ya comin'?"

She turned to see Applejack had tethered the balloon down to a stake in the ground and was ready to trot over the hill. "Yeah, coming." She took one last look at the cloud house.

But Rainbow Dash was gone.

It was not long before the two farmers had returned to Ponyville, and they were trotting through the streets when Golden finally gained the courage to speak again. "So… You're friend Twilight…"

"Ahh, don't let RD scare ya off, sugarcube. My friends ain't all crazy. The one ya gotta look out for the most is Pinkie Pie. Ya never know what she'll do."

"Isn't… wasn't that the one Rainbow Dash warned us about?"

Applejack smiled down at her. "Now, I know for a fact that Pinkie would never hurt anypony, especially not one of her friends. She's one of the nicest gals I've ever met. Ya got nuttin' ta worry 'bout."

Golden sighed. There was no reason to doubt Applejack, but she still felt unsettled about her experience with Rainbow Dash. She looked up and paused as they came across the most elegant building that she had seen. It was dull and covered in dust, its windows and doors boarded up, but Golden could see that it had once been a very well kept building. Applejack turned and looked up at the building. "That's the old Carousel Boutique. My friend Rarity used to run her clothing store there… that was a long time ago…" She fell silent. Golden looked over at the apple farmer. Her face was expressionless, but something told the golden mare that she was trying to hide a long buried sorrow. "I guess she didn't get through the plague, then…"

Applejack hung her head. "Naw. Her sister didn't either. Darn shame, too. She was spectacular."

They stood in silence for a while longer before Applejack cleared her throat and continued down the road. "Well, com'on. Better get there soonish. Twilight hates missin' her lunch, and knowin' her she's probably gonna take a late one." Golden galloped to catch up.

A short while later they came to a giant tree. It was almost out of place amongst the thatched-roof and wooden houses, and seemed naked as it was bare of leaves. Wooden porches extended awkwardly from its thick trunk, and perched at the very top was a rusting telescope. Applejack knocked on the door before simply letting herself in. Golden nervously followed, feeling uncomfortable invading somepony else's property. "Twilight? Spike?" Applejack called.

A lanky, purple dragon poked its head over the side of the upstairs railing, peering down at the ponies below. "Oh, hey AJ." He hopped over the railing and landed on the floor with a heavy thump. He stood at eye level with the mare, and his long tail swished back and forth. "What's up?"

"Is Twilight home? I need to talk to her."

"Yeah, she's just down stairs. Come on, I'll show you." As he turned to walk off, Golden grabbed ahold of Applejack's shoulder and pulled her close. "You realize that's a dragon, right?" she whispered.

Applejack chuckled. "'Course. But Spike wouldn't harm a horsefly if it bit him on the nose. He's Twilight's assistant."

Putting her confusion behind her, she followed Applejack and the dragon, who she assumed was Spike, through a door and into a much darker room. The purple dragon leaned over the edge of the stairs, his green spines fairly close to Golden's nose. She shifted uneasily.

"Twilight! You've got visitors!"

A purple light glowed on the floor below. "Tell them to go away. I'm concentrating, and I think I'm about to make a break-through."

"Twi'. I need to talk to ya. It's 'bout Rainbow." Applejack shoved Spike out of the way and shouted over the edge. Golden trotted beside her and peered down. She could hardly make out the back of a pony, or what she assumed to be a pony. After meeting Spike, the golden-coated mare was unsure of the friends with which her neighbor associated.

Applejack took a quick look at the carrot farmer before shouting, "An' I also have a friend for ya to meet."

There was a sigh from the floor. "Alright, I'll be right up." The light went out and a moment later a lavender unicorn stood at the foot of the stairs. "Oh, hello. My name is Twilight Sparkle. And who might you be?"

"I'm Golden Harvest. I'm Applejack's neighbor."

"Nice to meet you. Let's head inside; it's dark down there and I'm not too proud of the mess." They followed her into the main floor, which Golden noticed for the first time was actually a library. A few magenta cushions levitated to the center of the room, one on which the unicorn sat down. "Now, what's the matter with Rainbow Dash?"

"Well, we we're just at her place, an' she was actin' a bit screwy." Applejack sat down on another cushion, while Golden took the last one beside her. "Poor thing looked like a zombie with her eyes all sunken, an' she wan't focusin' at all."

Twilight smiled. "I'm sure she's just tired from working so hard trying to clear the sky. With all of the clouds blocking out the sun, she can't keep up with them, and she doesn't have much help. Do the pegasi in Cloudsdale even know the plague is over?"

"Come to think of it," Golden said, "I haven't seen more than two pegasi since I moved. And that's including Rainbow Dash."

"Exactly. They are probably all still quarantined in Cloudsdale. Knowing Rainbow Dash, she's most likely to proud to ask for help, so no pony knows that it's safe to leave the cloud city. I'm sure she'll be fine if she took a day or two off." Using her magic, she took a cup of tea from a tray that Spike was carrying. He placed it down in the middle of the group and sat down on a cushion that Twilight brought over.

Applejack sighed. "I s'ppose so," she said, although it was clear that she was not too confident in her friend's prediction.

"Everything will be fine. You'll see. Rainbow is the most head-strong pony I know."

"I'ma thinkin' ya might be overestimatin' Dash's abilities."

Twilight had no response to this, and instead adverted her eyes and sipped at her tea. The room was full of silence until Golden Harvest spoke up. "So, I'm curious. What were you working on, if I may ask?"

The unicorn perked up immediately as she placed her tea cup down on the tray. "I'm glad you asked. The princess has requested that I work on attempting to restore the environment to a much healthier state. I have been studying samples that I have collected and am trying to determine a spell to hopefully counteract whatever is causing the Equestria to remain dead even long after the plague has been eradicated."

"I see. So you have relations with the Princess? What an honor."

Twilight chuckled. "Well, I am her most trusted student."

Golden Harvest was beginning to find herself amazed by her neighbor's friends; even if they did seem a bit strange, they all seemed to be highly ranked ponies. "So have you made any progress?"

The lavender mare sighed and hung her head. "No, I haven't. I've taken plenty of samples, but I can't seem to find anything wrong with them except for the fact that they are all dead."

"Oh." Golden looked down at the floor below her. "I'm sorry to hear that…"

"Well, we best be off." Applejack hastily stood. "We got a lot more to see, more ponies to meet."

Golden was startled by her neighbor's hastiness. She and Twilight stood much more slowly, both having puzzled expressions. "Perhaps it's for the best," the unicorn said. "I really need to get back to work. I think I may have found something important."

"Didn't you say—"

"I haven't concluded anything with certainty. I'm hoping that this time I have found something."

"Come on, let's get a move on. We're burning daylight, and I'm sure as a' infection from a timberwolf bite that Pinkie's gonna keep us forever." Applejack shoved Golden towards the door. She stumbled and looked over her shoulder to see the apple farmer whisper something undecipherable to her unicorn friend, whose puzzled expression became even more perplexed. The cowpony thanked her friend before trotting ahead of the orange haired mare. She too thanked the unicorn for her hospitality, who in turn waved goodbye as she followed the strange neighbor out of the library.

"Whoa."

The two mares had finally arrived to a tall and extravagant building, which was decorated lavishly like an enormous pastry. Its brown roof appeared to be frosted and sprinkled, with candy-cane pillars holding it up and faded pink doors and window shutters opened wide. Perched at the very top was a giant cupcake, its pink frosting topped with three lit candles.

"Fancy, huh? Pinkie does a great job keepin' the place well put together." Applejack walked up the stairs and into the building, followed by a very fascinated carrot farmer.

She had taken only one step inside the bakery before vibrant pink pony leaped out from behind the counter, her kinky cotton candy mane bouncing with her every movement. "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, the best bakery in—" but her thought was interrupted with a prolonged gasp as her jaw dropped nearly to the floor. In a blink of an eye she was right in front of Golden Harvest, cranking the golden mare's hoof with her own. "Omigosh it's so great to finally meet you! I mean, how you've been in Ponyville for this long and missed me I have NO idea but now you're here and this is gonna be GREAT! Just hold that thought 'k?" She bolted off just as Golden opened her mouth to introduce herself, and the pink pony flung open a pair of wooden doors behind the counter. "Pumpkin! Pound! Break Time! We got visitors!" Without waiting, she ran back to the startled newcomer as a pink blur. "I'm Pinkie Pie, the owner of Sugarcube Corner Bakery, and my kids Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake will be out of the kitchen soon, I mean, well duh they aren't MY kids, but after you-know-what happened to their parents I kinda inherited the bakery and them and since I've known them since they were teeny tiny foals I always think of them as my kids even though I KNOW they—"

"Uhh, Pinkie, ya might wanna slow down there for a tick. Carrot here ain't used to bein' shot with a party cannon, ya know?"

"Oh, silly Applejack, I didn't shoot her with my party cannon. You know I know better than to do that, especially after the LAST time."

"We're here Pinkie!" through the double swinging doors bounced a filly unicorn and a colt Pegasus. The blue-eyed yellow coated filly reached the energetic mare first, shortly followed by her grey-eyed light golden brother. In fact, the two looked nothing at all like Pinkie Pie, making it obvious that they were not blood related to her.

"Carrot Top, this is Pumpkin Cake," she said, pointing to the filly, "And this is Pound Cake." She pointed to the colt. "They help me here at the bakery, along with my friend Lakesong, but she has another job so she only comes in on her days off—"

As if on cue, the cream-colored mare trotted into the bakery, stopping and staring with wide emerald eyes in surprise at the group. "Well hey there, Golden. Nice to see you so soon."

"Lakie!" the pink baker pounced on her friend, wrapping her legs around her neck. The cream waitress's sweater shifted, and Golden caught a glimpse of something attached to her side before it was obscured by Pinkie's body. Lakesong smiled and looked away with embarrassment. "Okay, Okay, get off me, you big cupcake." Golden tried to see if she actually seen something, but as Pinkie let her friend go the sweater slid back in place. "Oh! I'll get some snacks! Wait right here." And with that Pinkie Pie was gone.

The group walked over to a counter with a few stools, and they all sat down together. Lakesong smiled apologetically to Golden Harvest. "Yeah, sorry Carrot-Top. I kinda told Pinkie all about you. To be honest, I'm surprised she hasn't thrown you a welcome party yet."

"How did you know my nickname? I never told you ponies call me Carrot Top."

"You mean other's call you that?" The waitress looked disappointed. "I thought I was being clever…"

Applejack patted her on the back. "Aww, sugarcube, don't get down. It was clever. Just that everyone else thought of it first."

Lakesong scowled at her, but said nothing. She hadn't needed to; it was at that moment that the party pony reappeared behind them, pushing a pink cannon. Golden leaned back, startled, as Lakesong and Applejack tumbled out of the way. The cannon went off with a loud bang, spraying confetti into the carrot farmer's face. She flinched.

"OHHHHHH!" Pinkie sang, her hooves raised high above her head. There was a groan from Applejack, but this didn't seem to stop the baker.

"Welcome welcome welcome

To our Ponyville today!

It's nice to see a new face

And it makes me want to say:

I'm so glad I get to meet you and so sorry that I missed you I mean how does that happen I know ever pony here but if you need a tour I can take you EVERYWHERE!

So welcome welcome welcome

TODAY!"

At the conclusion of her song, the cannon went off again. Golden Harvest was startled stiff, and was personally glad that this performance did not occur the moment she stepped hoof in the town. "W-well… Thank you…"

"Alright alright Pinks, give her some space," Lakesong said as she pushed the confetti cannon into the back room.

"Oopsies! Sorry, I just get SO excited when I make new friends, it just makes me want to EXPLODE!" As Pinkie bounced in the air, Golden recoiled and nearly fell off her stool. Pinkie grabbed her though, giggling nervously. "Sorry," she said with an enormous grin.

As Lakesong returned sans cannon, the pink pony began passing out snacks, which consisted of cupcakes with frosting of varying colors. Golden stared down at her own blue swirled pastry; it looked delicious, but Rainbow Dash's deranged warning replayed in her head, making her hesitant to dig right in. This did not seem to be the issue with the two other mares on either side of her.

Applejack looked up at her eccentric friend, licking lime green frosting off her lips. "Hey, Pinkie, you heard from Rainbow Dash lately?"

She grunted, her brow twisted in frustration. "No I have NOT! I have tried visiting her, writing to her, catching her while she out, but every time she sees me, PEEEW! She flies off and I can't catch her! I mean, usually I can get her, but sometimes it seems like she just vanishes!"

"She said something about not eating your cupcakes," Golden piped up. Applejack rolled her eyes. "They're fine, eat yer cupcake," she said before returning to her frustrated friend. "She seems to be thinkin' ya got sumthin' against her."

"Of course I don't! I mean, sure, I told her I didn't want her to do you-know-what, but I mean, DUH, it's not like any of us did!"

"'Course not. But I hate to say it, but it mighta been better had ya not said nuthin' 'bout it."

"But she brought it up!"

Thoroughly puzzled, Golden turned to Lakesong with a questioning stare. The cream colored waitress merely shrugged. "I'm guessing something happened during the plague. Pinks never wants to talk about it, so I don't bother bringing it up anymore."

"AJ, she came to me and was like, '_Hey Pinkie_,' and I was like, '_What's up Dashie?_' and she was all like '_You think I did the right thing right?_' and I was like, '_Well, I wish you didn't do it'_ and she just flew off! She didn't even let me finish. But I mean, no pony wanted her to do it, we all KNOW she loved Fluttershy!"

Applejack sighed. "I dunno, Pinkie. I'ma thinkin' she's thinkin' yer gonna do sumthin' awful to her."

The party pony recoiled at this statement, her nose scrunched up in disgust. "That's CRAZY! Dashie knows I'd never do anything to hurt her!"

"I'ma thinkin' she doesn't."

The group fell quiet for a moment, before, Lakesong sighed. "I bet it's brain damage. Isn't she the one who does all those rainbooms? I'm telling you, those things can't be healthy—"

"YA TAKE THAT BACK, YA SCOUNDRAL!"

Lakesong shrank back, holding her hooves up in defense. "Whoa whoa whoa, chill out. It was a just a joke—"

"Y'ALL BEST NOT BE JOKIN' 'BOUT SUCH THINGS!" The cowpony was now on the counter, her snout just inches from the waitress's. Lakesong gulped down the knot in her throat and hoarsely whispered, "Okay…Okay…"

Panting, Applejack turned on her heels, whipping Lakesong in the face with her tail. She leaped down from the counter and stomped to the door. "I'll see y'all later," she growled as she stormed out.

Golden watched as her flank disappeared through the doorway. To her right, she heard Lakesong sigh. "Geez, I didn't think she'd get so pissy about that."

Both ponies jumped as they heard a superfluously loud and exaggerated gasp. They turned to see Pinkie Pie, who was somehow using all four hooves to cover the twins' ears with her sapphire eyes busting out of her skull and her jaw nearly touching the floor. The two foals seemed confused about the commotion but seemed unconcerned with the fact that their caregiver was currently defying the laws of physics without breaking their necks.

Lakesong grimaced. "Crap…"

"Lakesong Harmony Heartstrings, I am VERY disappointed in you! Bit in the jar, NOW!"

She groaned as she dragged herself over to a jar at the end of the counter. Golden squinted to read the label. It said 'Potty Mouth Jar'. Inside it was a fourth of the way filled with golden bits. The cream pony withdrew a bit from a small maroon sack and tossed it in. She then stomped back and hunched in her seat, grumbling about how well she had been doing.

Pinkie was now on the floor again, sending the twins bouncing to play upstairs. With a sigh, she leaned against the counter. "I just don't understand. Why doesn't Dashie like me anymore?"

"Well, that might not be it," Golden suggested. "Twilight Sparkle said she might just be super stressed from trying to clear the sky every day."

"I don't want to play therapist," stated Lakesong, scratching her chin with her hoof, "but that really doesn't sound like exhaustion. Did anything horrible happen to her before she started acting like this?"

Pinkie pie didn't reply, but instead stared blankly at the counter. Her eyes were distant, and her face showed some semblance of darkness. Her once perky curls began to droop.

"Pinks?"

No response, only her hair deflating more.

"Pinkie Pie."

Golden Harvest watched in shock as the pink pony's hair drooped more. It almost seemed as if it were becoming straight on its own, and her once bright blue eyes were becoming icy cold.

"Pinkamena!"

The spiraling vortex of depression that had opened suddenly vanished as the earth pony sat up straight, her mane poofing up and her eyes growing lively again. "Wh-what happened?" She whispered, startled.

Lakesong stared at the party pony with concern. "Hey Golden Harvest, I'll meet up with you later." Her eyes never once left Pinkie.

"Butbutbut, she never finished her cupcake," whimpered Pinkie, her eyes filling with tears.

"I-I-I'll take it with me. Besides, it looks so delicious, why waste it?" Golden placed it on a napkin and bundled it up before quickly bidding goodbye. As she walked out, she turned just in time to see the cream-coated waitress pony crawl over the counter to an absent-expressioned pink pony. Golden stopped and watched as Lakesong scooped her into an embrace as Pinkie's eyes overflowed with tears. They tumbled behind the counter and out of sight. A soft thump came from the back along with gasps and sobs. Another voice gently hushed them, followed by quiet singing:

"Pinkamena, don't you cry,

Listen to my lullaby.

Dream of candy and cupcakes

Brownies, tarts and goods baked…"

A hiccup interrupted the song, but was hushed before the song continued. Golden Harvest did not wait to hear how the lullaby ended. She placed down her cupcake and flipped the sign on the door so that the red 'Sorry, We're Closed' side faced out towards the street. She picked up her bundled napkin and quietly closed the door.


	4. Part 4

_You're gonna rattle, shake and bring the heat!_

_You'll show the haters when you sweep em right off their feet!_

_You're gonna cast out your light and cover them in your glow_

_The world is now your garden; Give em love to grow_

_You're Mother Nature; they hate ya. Nailed ya on the cross_

_It's all lost to me; the cost to be a beacon in the dark ya see_

_Is your life; But you know inside though they're your blight, _

_They're never ever gonna manage to put out your light_

_So Carrot Top; Spread your wings and take to the sky_

_You're gonna rise in time; They hurtcha but you'll never die_

_Like a phoenix; Rise again when they strike you down_

_You'll change their frown; Turn all their worlds upside down_

_The second coming has begun; the deed is done_

_The haters lookin' atcha; Shakin' cause they're all about to run_

_But then you hold out a hoof and show em gentle smiles_

_It's worthwhile; They feel they hatred leave; You banished the vile…_

Golden Harvest lazily opened her eyes and stared at her dresser before slowly pushing herself up into sitting position. Her sheet slid down her back as she looked around drowsily. She turned to look out of her window. She could not see the sun, but she could tell that it was low in the sky just by how much darker the gloom had become. She sighed.

She stretched her forelegs high above her head, feeling her ribcage stretch downwards. She then hopped out of her bed and began to make her way over to the stairs.

A pounding came from her front door down stairs, and she looked down towards the first floor with confusion. _Who could be coming for a visit so late?_ She wondered. She thought for a moment, trying to push past the cloud of sleep that encased her mind. As the pounding grew louder, she suddenly remembered the events that had transpired earlier: her visit to the cloud mansion of a deranged weatherpony, the matter-of-fact explanation provided by the brilliant unicorn scientist, the insanely hyper welcome from the pink party pony, and, perhaps worst of all, the image of transformation brought on by some unknown traumatic memory of the same baker who eccentrically welcomed her into the town.

"Lakesong?" she called towards the door. There was no answer, but after a couple more knocks the door caved in and a grey coated Pegasus tumbled through the now opened doorway.

"Derpy!" Golden, now wide awake, ran down the stairs as fast as she could, skidding to a halt beside her mailmare friend. "Derpy, are you alright?"

The mailmare sat up and looked at her friend with kooky amber eyes and a lop-sided grin. "I accidentallied your door…My bad…"

Golden Harvest sighed with relief. "It's okay. It'll be easy to fix. But what was with the urgency? Is everything okay?"

"Uhh…" Derpy stared at the ceiling, her expression blank. Golden Harvest was about to place her hoof on the Pegasus's shoulder to shake her out of her daze when she suddenly launched herself into flight. "I remember now! You gotta come quick, Carrot Top! Doctor says it's a miracle!"

"What is—"

But she was cut off as the grey Pegasus suddenly scooped her up under her arms and flew off through the open doorway, dangling a shrieking carrot farmer beneath her.

Although the trip to the Hooves's house had only lasted about eight minutes, Golden Harvest needed another twenty minutes before she was able to function well enough to comprehend anything any pony said to her. By then her trembles had subsided to very light shivers as she tried to regain her sense of security on the ground.

"You okay now?" asked a worried Doctor Hooves. He patted her back gently.

"Y-yes… sorry…"

"Sorry, Carrot Top… I didn't mean to scare you…"

"It's…it's fine, Derpy… Umm, wh-what was it you wanted to show me?"

"Oh!" The Pegasus took the carrot farmer by the hoof and dragged her over to the side of the house. "Look!"

"I don't see—" But she wasn't able to finish her sentence. Even through the gloom, she could see the lush carpet of grass that was growing in patches across the ground. She walked over to it and carefully placed her hoof in it. It was soft and cool.

"This is amazing!" She cried. "But… why is it only on this side?"

"You don't remember?" Doctor said. "That was the side you stayed on when you crashed at our house."

"And now it's BOOTIFUL!" shouted Derpy as she flipped backwards midflight. She flopped down on her hindquarters, her head swaying with dizziness.

Mr. Hooves walked over to a bewildered Golden Harvest and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "It seems like you're one magical earth pony," he said with a smile.

"But I… I didn't do anything… I thought my garden was doing well because of all the hard work I put into it, but all I did here was sleep!" She sat down as her thoughts started spinning in her mind.

"Well, some pony is bound to start noticing. We'll try to keep it quiet so you don't get bombarded with requests from every pony, but at this rate, we might not be able to keep it hushed for long."

Golden vividly remembered the time she had brought a cake over to Applejack, and how badly she had reacted to the knowledge of her mysterious ability. She shuddered. "Thank you. I'd really appreciate it."

"Good luck to you." The brown stallion returned to the house.

"You want a lift back home?" Derpy asked as she took flight.

"NO!" the earth pony shouted. Seeing the hurt expression growing on her friend's face, she hastily added, "I mean, no, thank you. I really just want some alone time, to work all this out in my head. It's a bit overwhelming."

"Okoliy-Doke," responded the mailmare, who crashed to the ground. "Get home safe 'k?"

"You got it."

And so the two mares went their separate ways, the Pegasus into her home and the earth pony in the exact opposite direction of her own. Golden Harvest trotted towards the edge of town, not quite wanting to go home yet. Everything was indeed overwhelming to her. She had always been a modest carrot farmer, and had been happy with such a simple life. She had never asked for anything extraordinary to happen to her, nor had she ever wished to change the world. All she had ever wanted was to grow her carrots and make delicious goods from them to share with her friends.

And where had that brought her? Her journey from Seaddle to a quaint little town named Ponyville, a place that seemed perfect for farming carrots, filled with wonderfully nice ponies for her to befriend, and here she was trying to pretend she wasn't the environmental savior of Equestria, a fact that she had been unaware of until her arrival in Ponyville.

She kicked up her hoof. "It's just not fair."

She had finally reached the edge of town. She stared into the black void that was the road leading out of Ponyville, debating whether she should continue forward or turn back home. She was about to act on the later idea when an eerily sweet whistle reached her ears. She froze and stared off into the darkness, not seeing anything. But the whistle continued, and she realized all too late that she was galloping at full speed towards it. With no moon or starlight to illuminate her surroundings, she was blind to the petrified sticks and shriveled leaves that snapped and crunched beneath her pounding hooves. Looming silhouettes approached her, and she dodged in and out of their creaking grasp. Her eyes were slowly adjusting, and she was starting to see that they were trees. Her galloping slowed to a canter, and eventually subsided to a trot. Panting, she tried to remember why she had been running. Had she really been chasing after that sound? She shook her head. Surely she was going crazy. For all she knew, she was being lead into a trap!

She snorted softly to herself and was about to turn back to town when she noticed that the sound was in fact music. She cocked her ear and listened; the melody was sweet, and yet somewhat sad. And so nearby… She stood with her legs spread apart, torn between going home and investigating the source of the sound. If she went home, she would be safe: most likely nothing would attack her on her way into town, and she would be guaranteed to farm carrots another day. If she continued forward to satisfy her curiosity, there would be no certainty for her future. The dilemma raged inside her for what seemed like eternity until she finally took a deep breath and, having been won over by her curiosity, took a step forward and poked her head through the bushes.

Golden Harvest's eyes had not quite adjusted yet, but she was still able to make out the light frame of a pony, its head and part of its rump obscured by some substance darker than the night around them. The music was clear as day now, but she still could see no source. The more her eyes adjusted, the more she began to recognize two limbs protruding from the back of the pony, two limbs that became more and more wing-like with each passing moment. When her eyes were finally acclimated, she saw that they were indeed wings, and the figure before her was indeed a pony. The wings were extended straight in the air and turning ever so slightly with every note change. Golden finally concluded that the music was coming from the pony, more importantly, from the pony's wings. The carrot farmer surveyed the area. It was the end of the woods as far as she could tell; the land before her was relatively flat and covered in gravel. At the musical Pegasus's feet was what appeared to be a mass of green cloth.

"Lakesong?"

The cream colored pony's wings quickly retracted as she cringed, putting an abrupt end to the ballad she had been creating. She turned slowly, her head ducking to peer from beneath a partially extended wing.

"Hey," Golden whispered as she climbed over a shrub and took a step towards her Pegasus friend. She was still a bit startled that it was actually _her_ making the music.

Lakesong grinned awkwardly. "Hey…" she whispered hoarsely. Her wings folded tightly against her body and she turned away from her earth pony friend.

Golden walked over to her, placing her hooves as softly against the ground as possible. "So…" She stopped and sat beside the cream colored pony, looking at her questioningly. "How long have you been a Pegasus?"

Lakesong scoffed, her wings falling limp. "Mostly since birth, I think. Though I'm not much of a Pegasus anymore…" Her shoulders slumped forward, and her head hung in shame.

Golden Harvest looked down at Lakesong's wings. Now that she was closer, she was able to tell that they were much different than any other pegasi's, at least any that she had seen. While most pegasi's wings held sleek, streamline feathers that increased in length as they grew closer to the alula, the waitress's wings were made of jagged, split-ended feathers that did not grow flush to one another. In some places, her feathers were too short or too thin to be useful, while in others they had not grown in at all. As Lakesong noticed Golden Harvest observing her, she quickly tucked her wings back. The feathers rustled in an abnormal way.

"What happened, if I may ask?" Golden peered up at her friend, her brow twisted with concern.

Lakesong sighed. "I don't really like to talk about it. It happened when I was really young, and there was this bright light… My wings caught on fire and I fell. Luckily I landed in a pond and the fire went out. But ever since then, my feathers never grew back the same…" She glared off in the distance for a while, but her expression eventually softened into sorrow. "I have to wear the sweater around. My boss said he'd fire me if I didn't, cuz I was grossing out the customers…" She sniffed back her tears, shaking her head. "I was never the best flyer, anyway. I could never keep up with the other foals in flight school. I would always get too dizzy if I flew too fast, and then I would drop out of the sky." She shivered. "I usually would catch myself, but a couple a times somepony had to go get me before I hit the ground…"

"That's…"Golden was at a loss of words. A Pegasus that couldn't fly? She had heard of some Pegasi that had chosen not to fly, but never of one that simply could not….

"Well," Lakesong continued with a sigh, "After that, I couldn't go back to Cloudsdale, obviously. So, I traveled for a bit. Ended up staying in Hoofington for a while. But once the plague started up, I high-tailed it out of there. I came upon Ponyville just before the plague reached here. I was lucky enough to find a nice unicorn family to take me in." She smiled nostalgically. "They were the weirdest bunch of ponies I have ever seen. Still are, really. I used to joke that the cough steered clear of them because they were just too damn wacky for it to deal with."

Golden smiled as well. She imagined that these unicorns must have been strange to concern Lakesong.

"Actually, they were the ones that helped me get my cutie mark," she started, but fell quiet again. "But…that's a different story."

There was silence for a while, save for the soft breeze that rustled the decaying leaves on the ground. Golden cleared her throat quietly. "So how is Pinkie Pie?"

Lakesong turned to her carrot farmer friend. "She's ok, you know? I guess she really doesn't like remembering her friend Fluttershy."

"Wait a minute!" Golden threw the Pegasus a puzzled look. "I thought you didn't know what had happened to her."

The Pegasus shrugged. "I didn't. But Pinkie tends to mumble in her sleep after her little panic attacks…"

"You watched her sleep?"

Lakesong looked embarrassed. "I wanted to be sure she was ok…"

Golden Harvest stared at her for a while. "You really care about her, don't you?"

The cream colored pony sighed and with a smile said, "Yeah…I do…" It took a moment for her to realize what she had just confessed, which she, flustered, immediately tried to hide by denying the fact. But Golden Harvest was no foal, and with a joyful surprise leapt to her hooves. "You _do_ like her, don't you?"

Lakesong was suddenly millimeters from her face, and before she could back away the Pegasus growled, "You cannot tell anypony, understand? Not a single pony can know about this." She fell back on her haunches and hunched over. "I mean, if Pinkie found out, she'd HATE me. She'd never want to see me again."

Golden blinked in surprise, but finally was able to place a hoof on her distressed friend's shoulder. "I don't think Pinkie Pie, is capable of hating anypony. You least of all." Lakesong smiled. "Thanks, Carrot Top." The golden mare returned the smile. "It's getting really late. We should go to head home soon."

Lakesong frowned. "I'd offer you a lift home, but…" she flapped her wings, which merely made an unnatural whistling sound. "These old wings aren't good for much more than making music."

"Ehh, that's really ok," Golden said, nervously. "I tried flying earlier today. It was horrifying. To be honest, I never want to do it again."

"Well that makes one of us," Lakesong chuckled. "How about this? I'll walk you home instead."

Golden frowned. "But I live on the opposite end of town from you."

"Actually, I don't even live in town. Too noisy."

"But you said—"

"Listen, you want to walk home in the pitch black alone, or do you want a super butch body guard to escort you safely?"

Golden busted into laughter at her friend's proposition. "Just because you like mares does NOT make you super butch," she said, wiping tears from her eyes.

The cream colored pony leaned down to scoop her sweater up and toss it over her back. When she stood facing her friend again she shrugged. "I'm not THAT girly."

"Oh please!" Golden laughed again as they entered the woods together. "You work at a coffee shop, you have the _daintiest_ skip to your step, and you wear a lime green sweater."

"Well, maybe I'm just a very feminine butch Pegasus. And the skip is solely due to me being a Pegasus." She raised her head proud. "We pegasi are really light on our feet. I can't help that, can I?"

"No, I suppose not." The golden mare smiled. "So you do still believe you are a Pegasus?"

"I can't really change the way I was born, even if I can't fly."

Golden mused to herself for a bit. "Can't you have some sort of corrective surgery done?"

Lakesong rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I GUESS I could do that. But then I wouldn't have my cutie mark."

Golden turned to look at the Pegasus's flank. It was difficult to tell in the gloom of night, but there appeared to be the image of a stick and a squiggle. "I'm sorry; I can't tell what it's supposed to be."

The waitress sighed. "It's a cat-tail and an eighth note. I make music. That's my special talent."

"Huh. I'm surprised that it has nothing to do with coffee."

"I only work there!"

They both broke out into laughter as they emerged on the other end of the forest and trotted towards town. "Hey, Lakesong?"

The cream colored pony looked down at her golden friend. "Yeah, what's up?"

"I don't think you're wings are disgusting. They're weird, but, they make you unique."

The Pegasus smiled. "Thanks, Carrot Top. And I don't think your ability to bring life to a dead world is weird. It makes you unique."

"But we're still going to keep that a secret."

"Right."

As they entered town, Golden turned to her friend and said, "You know, you shouldn't worry too much about Pinkie finding out that you like her."

"Why's that?"

With a laugh, the carrot farmer said, "With how obvious _you _make it, she probably already knows."


End file.
